Regimental nicknames

[squirrel]

Four Wheeled Hussars, the Royal Horse Artillery.

[Staffsyeoman]

Machine Gun Corps were also known as 'The Suicide Club'

"Cork and Doncaster" for Y&L

"Argyll and Bolton Wanderers" (recently still in use)

"Run Away Someone's Coming"

Staffordshire regiments were called "Twisters"

"Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard" - Royal Scots

"The Pompadours" - Bedfordshire Regt

"Saucy Sixth" - Royal Warwicks

"Cast Iron Sixth" - 6th Bn London Regt

"Surrey Highlanders" - Scots Guards

Not sure if we Gunners were called 'Planks' in this period...

[squirrel]

Kinnegad Slashers - The Glosters

[Ozzie]

"THE TERM "EGGS-A-COOK"

Up to this time, the First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Divisions had seen active service at Gallipoli and on the Somme. They had also done some training in Egypt, where the "Gyppo" vendors of fruit and chocolates advertised their wares by calling them "verra nice, verra sweet, verra clean. Two for One." (This meant, two of them for one half-piastre). They also sold hard-boiled eggs, in the same manner, calling out: "Eggs-a-cook. verra sweet, verra clean. Two for one." When the Third Divisional troops appeared, with their turned down hats and their oval, or egg-shaped, colour patches, members of the other four "Fighting Divisions," as they called themselves, immediately yelled out: "There they are. Eggs-a-cook. Verra nice, verra sweet, verra clean. Two for one." It may have started as a joke, but it unfortunately developed into a term of derision.

There was a little doggerel verse to the tone of "The Girl I Left Behind Me," which went:

"Oh, the First and the Second are in the line,

And the Fourth and Fifth are behind them.

But when we look, for the Eggs-a-cook,

I'm dammed if you can find them."

This, when sung in the hearing of men of the Third Division, was usually the signal for a box-on or brawl, but that was before the Third Division had made a name for itself at Messines and Passchendaele, and later on with its greatest exploit of all, which gained for it unstinted praise and everlasting respect. This was at the time the Germans broke through the British lines and the Fifth British Army was retreating in haste. Pushing on, to support our Fourth Division hanging on at Dernancourt, with but a mere handful of cavalry to act as support; without the aid of artillery other than four field guns, which were subsequently withdrawn, the derided Eggs-a-cook Division, between the Somme and the Ancre bore the entire brunt of stopping that avalanche of victory-flushed enemy troops, swooping onwards towards Amiens.

Unflinchingly the Eggs-a-cooks withstood the onslaught, held the enemy at bay and snatched victory from his very jaws."

From Ted Harris's site http://www.firstaif.info/42/line1/bn-history.htm

The following from http://www.anu.edu.au/andc/res/aehist/wwi/annoted1.php

A good place for AIF War Language.

Army Safety Corps Army Service Corps. The A.S.C. rarely had to operate under fire.

*Black Hand A Section of Bombers. (Infantry)

General World War I. Attested in F&G, Digger Dialects, Partridge.

This term had a broader sense in World War I, usually in the combination ‘black hand gang’ and referred to those sent on very dangerous missions, such as a trench-raid. This sense, according to Partridge, was current 1916–18. It was also applied to bombers, stretcher-bearers, and others assigned dangerous duties. According to Partridge, this sense was current from 1917. F&G suggest the term originated with the villain’s role in a film melodrama.

*Bowie-Knife Army The American Expeditionary Force.

World War I. Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

This is a reference to the large bowie-knives named after Jim Bowie, an American adventurer who fought and died at the Alamo in 1836. The bowie knife is one of the most aggressive fighting knives ever made.

College Nickname for 39 General Hospital and No. 2 Stationery Hospital, when venereal disease was the chief if not the only ailment treated. A soldier who received full treatment was regarded as having graduated.

World War I. Attested here but not otherwise recorded.

The No. 2 Auxiliary Stationary Hospital was located in South London and dealt primarily with soldiers who had lost limbs; the No. 39 General Hospital was primarily a venereal disease hospital, and was located in Bulford, England.

Daddies, the The name applied to the British Labour Corps serving at Anzac. The personnel of these units were all above military age, or had been rejected for active service in fighting units.

*Deep Thinker A reinforcement who arrived in a fighting unit late in the course of the war.

World War I. Attested here and in Digger Dialects.

[Rob B]

The Royal Scots -Pontius Pilates bodyguard.

The Cameronians-The poison dwarfs.

The Black Watch-besides the inference to sheep The black death

The Irish Guards-The Micks

The 9th Hussars were I think the Cheery Pickers.

Rob

[Stephen Barker]

8th East Lancs - Galloping 8th - on account of the poor keeping of time of the battalion band during their early marches in France August 1915.

RA often known as the 'Dropshorts'.

[Adam Harland]

*Black Hand A Section of Bombers. (Infantry)

General World War I. Attested in F&G, Digger Dialects, Partridge.

This term had a broader sense in World War I, usually in the combination ‘black hand gang’ and referred to those sent on very dangerous missions, such as a trench-raid. This sense, according to Partridge, was current 1916–18. It was also applied to bombers, stretcher-bearers, and others assigned dangerous duties. According to Partridge, this sense was current from 1917. F&G suggest the term originated with the villain’s role in a film melodrama.

As posted above, I would have thought that the 'Black Hand' reference was rather obvious.......weren't they the people who chucked the bomb at Archduke Ferdinand in the first place. When that didn't work, they shot him and started the whole sorry affair!

[isadore]

Kinnegad Slashers - The Glosters

Squirrel, do you know why they were called the Kinnegad Slashers?

Isadore

[Rob B]

The Scots Guards were the The Jocks or the Kiddies.

The KORBR The lions,

The Devon and Dorset Regiment-The Bloody Eleventh,

Some others for the Gloucesters-The old Braggs, The slashers, The right abouts, The back numbers, The flowers of Toulouse, The silver tailed dandies and The Glorious Glosters.

Lots more in The History of the British Infantry Vol 2 " For Love of Regiment" by Charles Messenger

Rob

[Ron]

The 17th Londons were known as 'the Poplars'

Ron

[squirrel]

The Slashers for the Glosters IIRC comes from the 61st foot but quite why or when it came about I am unable to remember.

There is a story of a Colonel Bragg who commanded the 28th regt of foot, I think in the early part of the 19th century, and was bemused while on parade with his regiment and several others by some the names being used for the various regiments.

On giving the command to march off he is alleged to have said, "Not King's nor Queen's nor Royal Marines but 28th Old Bragg's. Brass before and brass behind. Right Turn. Quick march!"

[bedfordyeoman]

Hi All,

Bedfordshire Regiment known usually as "the Peacemakers" as they managed to avoid just about all the noteworthy military confrontations in the 19th century. I think their first battle, as one might know a battle, was Paardeburg in 1900. After amalgamation with the Herts Rgt known as the Beds and Tarts. (not the Pompadours, Staffsyeoman - they were the Essex Rgt - merged with the B & H later though).

No nickname for the Beds Yeomen but adopted "the Fedupfordshire Lancers" in WW1 given the amount of time they, and the rest of the cavalry regiments, spent doing nothing.

All the best

David

[Petroc]

Sorry to correct you Rob, but the 'Bloody Eleventh' only applied to the Devons, derived from the somewhat costly exertions of the 11th Foot (later 11th (North Devon) Regiment) at Salamanca in (I think) 1811. The Devon and Dorsets only formed in 1958, are now the Devon and Dorset Light Infantry and are soon to become part of a strategically-necessary but tradition-rejecting 'super-regiment' based upon the wider South West. Incidentally, during WW1 the 9th Devons were supposedly known as the '9th London and Lancs' due to the number of 'foreign' volunteers drafted in to bolster rural recruiting, but I have found few contemorary references to back up this statement (which I first came across in Middlebrook's 'First Day on the Somme'); Possibly because equally large numbers of troops in the battalion came from the Midlands and Wales?

[C.TIERNEY.]

11th Londons = The Bunhill Pissers

The Queens = The Mutton Lancers

10th Londons = The Hackney Gurkhas

RAMC = Rob All My Comrades & Run Away Mothers Coming & Rats After Mouldy Cheese

5th NF = The Old and Bold

The Norfolks = The Bad Pennys & The Holy Boys

Catering Corps = Fitters & Turners

REME = Ruin Everything Mechanical and Electrical

The Cheshires = The Acorns

7th Londons = The Shiny Seventh

6th Londons = The Cast Iron Sixth

DWWRR = The Wellington Boots

RFA = The Nine Mile Snipers

The Middlesex = The Diehards

[C.TIERNEY.]

11th Londons = The Bunhill Pissers

The Queens = The Mutton Lancers

10th Londons = The Hackney Gurkhas

RAMC = Rob All My Comrades & Run Away Mothers Coming & Rats After Mouldy Cheese

5th NF = The Old and Bold

The Norfolks = The Bad Pennys & The Holy Boys

Catering Corps = Fitters & Turners

REME = Ruin Everything Mechanical and Electrical

The Cheshires = The Acorns

7th Londons = The Shiny Seventh

6th Londons = The Cast Iron Sixth

DWWRR = The Wellington Boots

RFA = The Nine Mile Snipers

The Middlesex = The Diehards

and whatever happened to the DWR? = Don't Walk Run.

Regards,

C.T.

[squirrel]

Isadore,

looked up the reference last night for the Glosters being known as the Kinnegad Slashers. I was wrong, it was the 28th foot that had the nickname, not the 61st.

Apparently they got the nickname from their adoption of the tune The Kinnegad Slasher as their regimental march in the 18th century. It was an Irish tune also known by many other names. They were based in Ireland at the time not far from the village of Kinnegad and recruiting in the area was quite brisk.

[DrB]

...lest we forget, the motto given to the 21st Lancers (prior to Omdurman, anyway) by some army wag" "Thou shalt not kill" or the hussar regiment, I believe it was either the 13th or 20th..."No Bodies Own."

DrB

[GnrEaton]

4TH Battalion of the Yorkshires were the "Yorkshire Gurkhas" after their actions at St Julien in 1915.

Bob.

This also applied to the 1st/5th Yorkshire's who got the title in the same action. This battalion was referred to locally as the 'Scraborough Rifles' (their pre 1908 beginnings).

Dan.

[isadore]

Isadore,

looked up the reference last night for the Glosters being known as the Kinnegad Slashers. I was wrong, it was the 28th foot that had the nickname, not the 61st.

Apparently they got the nickname from their adoption of the tune The Kinnegad Slasher as their regimental march in the 18th century. It was an Irish tune also known by many other names. They were based in Ireland at the time not far from the village of Kinnegad and recruiting in the area was quite brisk.

Thanks Squirrel, I was intrigued by their name as Kinnegad is just a few miles away from me.

Will have to do some investigating now...

Isadore

[Guest MightyBigEgo]

The Middlesex Regiment - The Diehards.

At the Battle of Albuhera in the Peninsula, the 57th (as they were), were surrounded. The colonel, mortally wounded was propped up and continually shouted "Diehard 57th! Diehard!". They did. 2/3rds of the Regiment were killed.

Military Foot Police/Corps of Military Police/Royal Military Police - Monkeys

When the MFP were formed in the 1880's in Egypt, they wore red fez hats to be seen. The only other creatures to wear the hats in Egypt, were the barrel organ monkeys....

[PFF]

The 38th/39th/40th Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers.

Called "Jewish Service Battalions".

Also known as "Judeans/Judean Regiment"

[Hector]

...or "Run Away Mother's Coming".

There are inumerable plays on initials for most regiments, but I wouldn't exactly classify them as Regimental nicknames.

Dave. (ex. "Queers, Lesbians and Rejects" - Queens Lancashire Regiment (QLR)- not one we called ourselves!!! )

or quick lets run

[Guest KevinEndon]

The majority of the posts have a reason as to how they came about their nicknames, the number on the right is the post number.

107th Inf Regt Silk Stocking Soldiers jdajd 37

10th Londons The Hackney Gurkhas Russell Gore 57

11th Hussars The Cherry Pickers Croonaert 33

11th Hussars The Cherubims BeppoSapone 34

11th Hussars The Cherry Bums BeppoSapone 34

11th Londons The Bunshill Pissers Russell Gore 57

14/10 Hussars The Sh.tehawks Croonaert 33

16th Lancers The Scarlet Lancers Cairan Byrne 71

17th Londons The Poplars Ron 85

40th Artillery Regt 39th and a half Arnie 52

48th Highlanders Canada The Glamour Boys BeppoSapone 15

5th Lancers The Redbreasts Cairan Byrne 71

5th Lancers The Daily Advertisers Cairan Byrne 71

5th Lancers The Irish Lancers Cairan Byrne 71

5th N F The Old and Bold Russell Gore 57

6th Londons The Cast Iron Sixth Russell Gore 57

7th Londons The Shiny Seventh Russell Gore 57

A E F O'Ryans Roughnecks jdajd 37

A E F O'Ryans Travelling Circus jdajd 37

A I F 50th Btn Hurcombe’s Hungry Half Hundred Edward N Kelly 10

A I F 10th Btn The Fighting 10th Edward N Kelly 10

A I F 48th Btn Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans) Edward N Kelly 10

A I F 29th Btn Tivey's Chocs Andrew P 35

A I F 30th Btn Tivey's Chocs Andrew P 35

A I F 31st Btn Tivey's Chocs Andrew P 35

A I F 32nd Btn Tivey's Chocs Andrew P 35

A I F 14th Btn Jacka's Mob Andrew P 35

A I F 34th Btn Maitland's Own Ian Underwood 51

A I F 36th Btn Carmichael's Thousand Ian Underwood 51

A I F 44th Btn Old Bill's Thousand Ian Underwood 51

A I F 42nd Btn Australian Black Watch Ian Underwood 51

A I F The 40,000 thieves BeppoSapone 68

Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Ash & Sh.te Hurlers Graham McInnes 42

Army Service Corps Ally Sopers Cavalry Ian Bowbrick 16

Australian Light Horse 13th Btn The Devils Own Petrick 23

Australians 3rd Division Eggs a Cook Ozzie 79

Bedfordshires 1/5th Btn The Yellow Devils Steve Fuller 41

Bedfordshires The Pompadours StaffsYeoman 77

Bedfordshires The Peacemakers Bedfordyeoman 87

Beds Yeo The Fedupfordshire Bedfordyeoman 87

Black Watch (Too rude to mention) truthergw 54

Black Watch Gallant Forty Twa Scotty C 72

Black Watch Black Death Rob B 80

Border Regt The Lions Rob B 84

Buffs Buried under 50 Foot of Sh.t Nick 27

C E F 176th Btn Niagra Rangers Bill Smy 45

C E F 46th Btn The Suicide Btn Borden Battery 46

C E F 29th Btn Tobin's Tigers bartbandyrfc 49

C E F 22nd Btn The Little Pigs Juice 55

C E F 22nd Btn Van Doos Juice 55

C E F 5th Btn Tuxford's Dandies DrB 65

Cambridgeshire Regt Fen Tigers HarryBetts 4

Cameronians The Poison Dwarfs Rob B 80

Canadian Forestry Corps The Sawdust Fusiliers RobBulloch 66

Canadian MGC The Emma Gees Borden Battery 46

Canadian Motor Machine Gun Bge The Motors Borden Battery 46

Catering Corps Fitters & Turners Russell Gore 57

Cheshire Regt The Acorns Russell Gore 57

Devon & Dorset The Bloody 11th Rob B 84

Duke of Wellingtons W R R The Wellington Boots Russell Gore 57

Durham Light Infantry Dirty Little Infants SMG65 22

Durham Light Infantry 9th Btn Gateshead Gurkhas SMG65 22

East Anglians 2nd Btn The Poachers Kondoa 7

East Lancs 8th Btn The Galloping 8th Stephen Barker 81

East Surrey Young Buffs Ian Bowbrick 16

Essex Regiment The Bird Catchers J T Gray 28

Hampshire Regt The Swedebashers Marc Thompson 13

Hampshire Regt 1st Btn The Stone Wallers Marc Thompson 13

Hampshire Regt 2nd Btn The Incomparables Marc Thompson 13

Hampshire Regt 8th Btn Isle of White Gurkhas Pete Wood 20

Hastings & Prince Edwards Regt The Hasty P's DrB 9

Hastings & Prince Edwards Regt The Quick Slash BeppoSapone 15

Highland Light Infantry 15th Btn (1st Glasgow) The Boozy First Shawbridge 31

Highland Light Infantry 16th Btn (2nd Glasgow) The Holy Second Shawbridge 31

Highland Light Infantry 17th Btn (3rd Glasgow) The Featherbed Third Shawbridge 31

Highland Light Infantry The Pig & Whistle Light Infantry DrB 65

Indian Army 40th Pathans The Forth Thieves DrB 50

Indian Army 9th Bopal Inf Bopeeps DrB 50

Irish Guards The Micks Rob B 80

King's Royal Rifle Corps Kaiser's Own rflory 43

Leinsters unknown Forth Tens Desmond7 21

Life Guards The Cheeses Stiletto 61

Life Guards The Cheesemongers Stiletto 61

Life Guards The Spit & Polish Donkey Wallopers Grumpy 64

Lincolns The Poachers Kondoa 7

London Regt 2/3rd Bendall's Boy Scouts lidzy 63

Machine Gun Corps Suicide Squad Ian Bowbrick 16

Manchester Regt 10th Btn The Nightjars Croonaert 33

Middlese Regt The Diehards Russell Gore 57

Military Police The Monkey's MightyBigEgo 95

Newfoundlanders F…ing Five Bobers Desmond7 2

Newfoundlanders The Blue Puttees BeppoSapone 11

Norfolks The Holy Boys Lionboxer 36

Norfolks The Hungry Ninth Lionboxer 36

Norfolks The Bad Pennys Russell Gore 57

Norfolks The Holy Boys Russell Gore 57

Northamptonshires Steelbacks Kate Wills 8

Northamptonshires 7th Btn Whitsed's Own HarryBetts 17

Northamptonshires 7th Btn Whitsed's Light Infantry HarryBetts 17

Northamptonshires The Cobblers cartoss 67

Nortumberland Fus The Fighting 5th Jimmy Knacky 69

Princess Patricias C L I The Patricias Borden Battery 46

Princess Patricias C L I P P C L I Borden Battery 46

Princess Patricias C L I The Pats Borden Battery 46

Queen's Lancashire Regiment Queers, Lesbians and Rejects Croonaert 29

Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars Queer objects on Horseback Kate Wills 30

R E M E Rough Engineering Made Easy FredJCarss 56

R E M E Ruin Everything Mechanical & Electrical Russell Gore 57

R F A The 9 Mile Snipers Russell Gore 57

R H A 4 Wheeled Hussars Squirrel 76

Rifle Brigade The Sweeps riflegreen 40

Rifle Brigade Black Button Ba..ards riflegreen 40

Royal Army Medical Corps Rob all my Comrades Edward N Kelly 25

Royal Army Medical Corps Run Away Mothers Coming Croonaert 29

Royal Army Medical Corps Rats after mouldy Cheese Russell Gore 57

Royal Artillery Drop Shorts PAB 26

Royal Canadian Regt The Poncers DrB 9

Royal Dublin Fus The Toughs Cairan Byrne 71

Royal Edmonton Regt The Eddies DrB 9

Royal Fusiliers 38th Jewish Service Btns PFF 96

Royal Fusiliers 39th Jewish Service Btns PFF 96

Royal Fusiliers 40th Jewish Service Btns PFF 96

Royal Innis Fusiliers The Skins Cairan Byrne 71

Royal Irish Fusiliers The Faughs Cairan Byrne 71

Royal Scots Pontius Pilates Bodyguards Malcolm 5

Royal Sussex Regt 4th Btn The Fine Fourths BeppoSapone 12

Royal Warwicks The Saucy Sixth StaffsYeoman 77

Royal Welsh Fus 2nd Btn The Birmingham Fusiliers Grumpy 62

Royal Winnipeg Rifles The Black Devil Arnie 19

Scots Guards Surrey Highlanders StaffsYeoman 77

Scots Guards The Jocks Rob B 84

Scots Guards The Kiddies Rob B 84

Staffordshire Regiments The Twisters StaffsYeoman 77

Suffolk Regiment The Dirty Dozen J T Gray 28

The Queens The Mutton Lancers Russell Gore 57

Triple X's East Lancs Croonaert 6

Wiltshire Regiment The Moonrakers Brian Buck 47

Yorks & Lancs Cat & Cabbage Chris Noble 3

Yorks & Lancs Young & Lovelies Chris Noble 3

Yorks & Lancs Rabbit & Geranium Chris Noble 3

Yorks & Lancs The Cork & Doncasters Edwin Astill 75

Yorkshire Regt 4th Btn Yorkshire Gurkhas Bob Culson 14

Kevin

[ginamcope]

All

I have recently found my grandfather Henry John Cope's WW1 records.

After an attchment to the Canadian Engineers I have an entry dated 1917

which seems to say "Rejoined Balls" place "Field"

At this point he is in the Royal Artillery whose cap badge is a flaming ball.

Do you know if this was a nickname for the Royal Artllery?

It is quite possible that it says "rejoined Batt" but it really does look more like 'lls' than 'tt'

regards Ffortune

[ginamcope]

Sorry, being really stupid today I meant to say Royal Fusiliers not Royal Artillery